The interesting thing about the change drivers is that their interaction and consequences will yield a whole range of challenging but unexpected results. Some of these with just a little foresight, I believe, can be anticipated.

Anticipation 1

The future will be with those that think and use a diferent nomenclature. The Unversity as an idea has so many implicit paradigms that it is doubtful if it can make the required transitions with the speed required to what might be called the future advanced knowledge and learning networks. [ no doubt someone will acronym it]

Anticiaption 2

New knowledge creation and diffusion, formerly the key value offering of universities will be created in many different places and universities will be just a bit player rather than the center. Like it or not most of this knowledge creation and diffusion will be in the control of private organsiations or perhaps City States as they seek to position themselves as globally attractive to the creative classes. [see Richard Florida - The rise of the Creative Class]

Anticipation 3

Future knowldege will move away from the traditional discipline paradigm to an integrated paradigm. The pardox of course being that the old way disciplines of Latin and the Classics are now in demand as they provide a thinking framework for the integrationalists.

Anticipation 4

Much of the exciting new knowledge is attractive to Commerce and NGO's as they seek to advance their various causes and will be created away from the eyes of public good and the nation state. Biotechnology and nanotechnology in all their dubious glory will not only replace many exisiting industries they may repattern entirely the way that we learn. The unthinkable and unspeakable will reign. As a result of this the changes in social institutions will be significant and perhaps even faster than the reigns of monarchs.

Anticipation 5

The race is for future relevance. The market will fragement. If I am to learn in the future I either want the "name university" as my advanced "know me, knowledge provider" or I will go with the proven but trendy - the rest will become irrelelvant.

Anticipation 6

Paradox will reign and I like many others have no idea what parts of what I've said will come true when. On line will work for some but not others. Thank God the futue is visual. And anyway what will "on line" mean in a "bio-nano" world?

Those that will succeed will be those that have some kind of scorecard.

Mike McAllum
www.globalforesight.net

Thank you James for stimulating the conversation